Microsoft IntelliMouse Explorer is Microsoft's award-winning optical mouse with a new design featuring unique comfort enhancements and is supercharged with Microsoft's new proprietary IntelliEye optical technology - the most powerful in the world. The new design of IntelliMouse Explorer leads in comfort and style, adding enhanced grip support, finger grooves and a new curvy shape to its signature titanium silver shell and glowing red underside. Microsoft's IntelliEye optical technology marks a major milestone in the optical mouse category, taking mousing to the next level and giving IntelliMouse Explorer unprecedented performance, accuracy, and control.. Comes with a five-year warranty!

V3.0 of this mouse is far better than the newer models. The newer ones made the scroll wheel much harder to use by taking out the click stops and adding horizontal scrolling to it. That made it much harder to click the wheel without accidentally scrolling.

Another Microsoft "Invention" !
I have owned this Rat for over SIX (6) YEARS.
It outlived 3 PC s.
There is nothing like this. BUY IT to keep for years.
front back paging bottons are great.
Did I say the "six years" ?

I've had this mouse for what seems like forever, and when it is time to get a new mouse, I hope these are still available, because I would buy a second.
The mouse is extremely comfortable to use. I have average sized hands, but I've always felt cramped when using other mice, as they are usually too small, and I have to cramp up my hand to get it to fit on these other mice. The Explorer 3.0 (and 1.0) have the best feel of any mouse I've tried...bar none. The thumb buttons are large and easy to reach, unlike most mice with thumb buttons. The scroll wheel's rotation is notched, so you get positive stops...prefect for scrolling through menus or options in games.
My mouse has seen heavy use/abuse since the day I got it. It is banged up, scratched, worn, the "Microsoft" across the bottom is almost completely rubbed off, and the cord has been mangled and abused, but nothing has broken. Even the little "feet" on the bottom of the mouse are still hanging on perfectly.
My hat's off to Microsoft for creating such a wonderful mouse that isn't afraid to be large or for righties only. A+++
PS...there seems to be two versions of this mouse out there...one has small skinny thumb buttons and is more curvy, and the other has large thumb buttons and is more round. My review is concerning the latter of these two...the curvier one is as uncomfortable to use as just about any other blah mouse out there.

Great all around mouse, but not for FPS games. Noticable improvement in cursor refresh rate over cheaper models and extra buttons are nice. My side buttons felt awkward and I think they could break easily. I prefer Logitech's extra button placement and feedback. Sure with opticals you don't have to clean mouseball, but whats with this annoying red light? Reason not good for FPS is friction caused by sliding vs. the old-school ball rolling. Opticals work like driving your car on ice; taking extra time to go from a stop position and sliding past when you try to stop. Spending $ on a Ratzpad and teflon spray helps, but for the price of Ratzpad you can get a cheapo mouse and a 3M precise mousing surface which works just as well. Then with extra money you can buy a new cheapo mouse ever 6 months.

This mouse is great for you counter-strike enthusiasts. Especially with Arctic Warfare Police or Scout. It's so precise in movement and feels great in your hand. And the price they offer here is a deal you can't beat.

Strengths:
5, count em, 5 buttons. great for gaming and internet browsing. No more going to your toolbar for back and forward buttons, just tie em to your mouse keys.

Weakness:
Corded. Heavy use shows wear on matte parts.

As will any computer product that is in frequent contact with human skin, the matte finish is wearing off on both right and left mouse buttons and on a spot about the size of a penny directly underneath the thumb button. Manufacturers should really reconsider applying the matte finish and should find another way to achieve that effect that will not wear off.
That being said, I would not hesitate to buy this mouse again and in my opinion, the only manufacturer that makes products as good as this or better is Logitech. Just wish I could configure their wireless the same way I could this one (tried to use a thumb button for the reload command on Counter Strike and for some reason, Logitech cordless wouldn't work right).

Microsoft IntelliMouse Explorer is Microsoft's award-winning optical mouse with a new design featuring unique comfort enhancements and is supercharged with Microsoft's new proprietary IntelliEye optical technology - the most powerful in the world. The new design of IntelliMouse Explorer leads in comfort and style, adding enhanced grip support, finger grooves and a new curvy shape to its signature titanium silver shell and glowing red underside. Microsoft's IntelliEye optical technology marks a major milestone in the optical mouse category, taking mousing to the next level and giving IntelliMouse Explorer unprecedented performance, accuracy, and control.. Comes with a five-year warranty!

V3.0 of this mouse is far better than the newer models. The newer ones made the scroll wheel much harder to use by taking out the click stops and adding horizontal scrolling to it. That made it much harder to click the wheel without accidentally scrolling.

Another Microsoft "Invention" !
I have owned this Rat for over SIX (6) YEARS.
It outlived 3 PC s.
There is nothing like this. BUY IT to keep for years.
front back paging bottons are great.
Did I say the "six years" ?

I've had this mouse for what seems like forever, and when it is time to get a new mouse, I hope these are still available, because I would buy a second.
The mouse is extremely comfortable to use. I have average sized hands, but I've always felt cramped when using other mice, as they are usually too small, and I have to cramp up my hand to get it to fit on these other mice. The Explorer 3.0 (and 1.0) have the best feel of any mouse I've tried...bar none. The thumb buttons are large and easy to reach, unlike most mice with thumb buttons. The scroll wheel's rotation is notched, so you get positive stops...prefect for scrolling through menus or options in games.
My mouse has seen heavy use/abuse since the day I got it. It is banged up, scratched, worn, the "Microsoft" across the bottom is almost completely rubbed off, and the cord has been mangled and abused, but nothing has broken. Even the little "feet" on the bottom of the mouse are still hanging on perfectly.
My hat's off to Microsoft for creating such a wonderful mouse that isn't afraid to be large or for righties only. A+++
PS...there seems to be two versions of this mouse out there...one has small skinny thumb buttons and is more curvy, and the other has large thumb buttons and is more round. My review is concerning the latter of these two...the curvier one is as uncomfortable to use as just about any other blah mouse out there.

Great all around mouse, but not for FPS games. Noticable improvement in cursor refresh rate over cheaper models and extra buttons are nice. My side buttons felt awkward and I think they could break easily. I prefer Logitech's extra button placement and feedback. Sure with opticals you don't have to clean mouseball, but whats with this annoying red light? Reason not good for FPS is friction caused by sliding vs. the old-school ball rolling. Opticals work like driving your car on ice; taking extra time to go from a stop position and sliding past when you try to stop. Spending $ on a Ratzpad and teflon spray helps, but for the price of Ratzpad you can get a cheapo mouse and a 3M precise mousing surface which works just as well. Then with extra money you can buy a new cheapo mouse ever 6 months.

This mouse is great for you counter-strike enthusiasts. Especially with Arctic Warfare Police or Scout. It's so precise in movement and feels great in your hand. And the price they offer here is a deal you can't beat.

Strengths:
5, count em, 5 buttons. great for gaming and internet browsing. No more going to your toolbar for back and forward buttons, just tie em to your mouse keys.

Weakness:
Corded. Heavy use shows wear on matte parts.

As will any computer product that is in frequent contact with human skin, the matte finish is wearing off on both right and left mouse buttons and on a spot about the size of a penny directly underneath the thumb button. Manufacturers should really reconsider applying the matte finish and should find another way to achieve that effect that will not wear off.
That being said, I would not hesitate to buy this mouse again and in my opinion, the only manufacturer that makes products as good as this or better is Logitech. Just wish I could configure their wireless the same way I could this one (tried to use a thumb button for the reload command on Counter Strike and for some reason, Logitech cordless wouldn't work right).